Tories abandon grammar schools

Research found grammar schools did not raise pupils' underlying numerical and literacy abilities. Photograph: Don McPhee

The Conservative party will today rule out a return to grammar schools, arguing they do little to benefit children from poor backgrounds.

In a speech to a Confederation of British Industry conference on public service reform, the shadow education secretary, David Willetts, will risk alienating traditional Tory supporters by saying the party needs to change its ideas if it genuinely wanted to improve social mobility.

Laying claim to Tony Blair's legacy of academies - independent state schools, sponsored by business - Mr Willetts will say he will put Labour's rhetoric into practice and expand the scheme.

Promising not to close existing grammar schools, Mr Willetts is expected to tell delegates: "Many people genuinely worried about social mobility, believe that grammar schools can transform the opportunities of bright children from poor areas. For those children from modest backgrounds who do get to grammar schools the benefits are enormous... But the trouble is that the chances of a child from a poor background getting to a grammar school in those parts of the country where they do survive are shockingly low."

He will add: "We must break free from the belief that academic selection is any longer the way to transform the life chances of bright poor kids... there is overwhelming evidence that such academic selection entrenches advantage, it does not spread it."

Mr Willetts will also use the speech to outline plans to safeguard the prime minister's controversial school academy programme, with proposals expand the number of academy schools and make it easier for sponsors to run them.

The Tories will make it easier for parents and private organisations, typically faith groups or businesses, to set up state schools by cutting bureaucracy and removing the requirement for academy sponsors to contribute £2m, he will say.

The party would also encourage sponsors to run networks of schools across the country, which "cut out the cumbersome process of negotiating contracts one by one, and make it easier for new regional and national organisations offering a consistent brand of state education to emerge".

New sponsors would be invited to run schools with whole class teaching, streaming, setting and "robust discipline so we can show that even in our toughest areas, traditional teaching works", Mr Willetts will say.

Academy sponsors will be required to stick with these teaching methods for a specific period of time - perhaps five years - so that data from tests can be collected and compared to other schools to "observe the impact made by these policies in a real, scientific manner".

The party will not stand in the way of innovation, but will not support "damaging" educational fads and will ensure all new ideas are properly researched.

Mr Willetts will tell the conference he believes these measures are necessary to reach the prime minister's target of creating 400 academies, a figure announced at the end of last year.

"The next Conservative government can use Tony Blair's legislation to deliver the promise of Tony Blair's rhetoric - self-governing, independent state schools," Mr Willetts will say.

"As part of his legacy, he now leaves behind him legislation which we can use to push his academies much further forward than Gordon Brown would ever dare to do."

Yesterday, Gordon Brown said he would not abandon the academies programme if he became prime minister.

However, the education secretary, Alan Johnson, who is backing the chancellor's leadership bid, told the BBC that he did not want more than 400 academies. "We are not looking to make every secondary school an academy," he told the World at One yesterday.